Beach Kiting

Flew the kite on the beach the other day. Would have been a nice day to sail but the wind was topping out around 15 and I wasn't motivated to get wet for marginal conditions. However, clear blue skies, moderate temperatures 43 degrees, and standing on the beach made me apprecitate my move. Back in Indiana, PA my parents are looking out their windows to 4 inches of snow.

Tomorrow we are getting some south wind and rain. Could be a chance to get out one last time before the drive to western PA.

Cold

Its been pretty cold lately and with wrestling practice 6 days a week I haven't been in the water lately. I did pick up a rush HQ 2.5 meter trainer kite and have been flying that in my limited free time. Its pretty incedible how much power that a little kite can generate. Last weekend I was flying it in 20 mph winds with gusts to the high twenties. On several occasions it had enough power to pick me mabey 3 or 4 feet off the ground. I'll pick up a big kite in the spring for the days where the wind is 10-16. There are several guys in the NJ area that kite and windsurf depeding upon the conditions. Its always fun to learn something new. Lets hope for some warm south winds this winter so I can get back on the water.

Hatteras Part 1

It was NJ teachers conference weekend so when I got home from school wednesday night, took a nap, woke up around 11:30 pm, packed the truck, and hit the road for hatteras. I did associate with several other teachers doing the same thing so we did have some "staff development."



The ride was pretty smooth untill i hit the bay bridge tunnel and innitially wasn't allowed to cross beacuse of high winds. After a half and hour of waiting I was allowed to cross and it was empty roads till I rolled into Nags Head. It looked windy up north but I kept driving towards the blue skies that were above the hole. Unfortunately the wind was pretty marginal at the hole but I was able to get an hour or so on the water.

However, at the hole I was able to meet the members of WOW (windsurfers of washington). I wasn't really sure where I was going to stay and these guys had an extra bed. In addition to that every night someone cooks dinner.

A sound view house sure beats camping.

Fall Sailing

Well Since July I have had quite a few sessions, met many of the local sailors, and have found several launches. I've spent 5 sessions in the ocean 3 of which occured on days that the swell was well overhead. Being out in the ocean on these days was a challenge and is deffinately making me a better sailor. You know its a good day out there when the only thing you can see on shore is the top of the water towers. Last weekend we got a rare warm and strong SE wind and Lakes Bay was lit up. My roomate was nice enough to stop by and grab some video.


I think I did just about everything wrong in that duck jibe attempt. Hopefully I'll have a lot of time to practice this comming weekend. The NJ teachers conference is going on which gives me a 6 day weekend and a chance to spend some time in Hatteras.

SUP
Well late summer and fall provided some epic Stand UP days. Some of the hurricanes provided epic swell and lately the North Winds that have been hitting the coast have provided some great days. Getting out has been rater interesting. On quite a few occasions dragging a 9'8" board through head high sets has provide some beatings.

check out the SUP Clinic 08 sponsered by Extreme Windsurfing

I've got the 9'8" starboard fish tie die - blue trunks white rash guard. Jim, the owner of extreme, got a great on the water shot of me eating it after a late takeoff.

Light wind action

Moving

Moving is a pain but if it takes you closer to the coast it can be worth it. From reading several of the windsurfing blogs out there it seems as though moving is a common theme this year. Catapulting aaron moved to Cali, I moved to the NJ coast, and james is moving to florida.

My new location is about 5 miles from extreme windsurfing located right outside of atlantic city. I've had about 7 sessions since i moved in early july mainly 6.6 and down.

Old school 5.0

Living in a much more wind prone area is tempting me to sell my 10.6 and formula board. I just don't need it on days there is wind. For the days without wind I picked up a 9'8" SUP that i've used about 12 times and it is an absoulute blast. I'm deffinately looking forward to fall when I will be able to get out after school for the "windy" season.

Windfest Long Weekend

It all started last Wednesday after my softball game in Easton, MD. I had fully loaded my truck and made the drive to Rockville MD to meet my dad for the trip down to Hatteras. We met up around 9:00 PM stowed my gear in his trailer hopped in the van. We made it onto the island around 3am and slept for a few hours in a friend’s driveway. I woke up around 7 am and we hit the grocery store followed by the hole. The wind was in the high teens and I was well powered on my 6.6 and 92L board. I sailed for about five hours on Thursday and realized that I would be worthless the next couple of days if I continued. So we packed up and headed down to Frisco woods and the beer truck.

Friday – I woke up and checked the forecast. It hadn’t changed so I went over to real and rented a Stand Up Paddle board (Jimmy Lewis 11’0”). I tested it out in the sound for about 10 minutes and felt I was ready for the ocean. The surf at Frisco Pier didn’t look to bad pretty small on the inside and just looked like rolling swell on the outside. I paddled out and soon realized despite my very stable board that crashing waves can be a problem. I finally made it out of the impact zone only to be shocked by the 6-7 foot rollers coming through. After attempting to ride several of these and getting worked pretty hard I stayed on the inside riding the rebreak and whitewater. Got a fully day at the beach and headed back to the camp ground for a beer/board toss. While at the board toss I ran into James, Bruce, and John from WET (who I had sailed with last October), I also was winning the board toss until the eventual winner beat my throw by half a board length.

Saturday – I woke up early to get in another standup session before the board was due back at 11 am. The swell was smaller and my confidence was up from the day before so I ventured out into the now 4 – 5 ft swell and was rewarded with some 150 yard rides. No real turns but I’m not a surfer so I was happy to be riding the wave and staying up. As I was finishing up the wind picked up to about 10 or 11 mph making paddling difficult so I rigged my 10.6 and formula 155. This combination allowed me to cruise around the sound for about 45 minutes and be the only sailor consistently planing. The wind completely shut off around 2 and then shifted to the South. It built back up around 5 providing another hour and a half session on the big gear. That night it was more of the beer truck and we didn’t win anything at the raffle.

Sunday - It looked good on the forecast but didn’t amount to anything before the rain came. As a result I spent 11 hours in the cars fighting rain and traffic on my way up to visit a friend in NJ.

Meetings

Well there were two windy days this past week that I missed due to after school meetings. As a result I haven't been on the water since the Thursday before Easter. That day was the most consistent I have ever had down in Oxford. Winds out of the NW at 22 mph allowing me to be fully powered up on my 5.4 and 92 L board from 10 am till 1:30 pm. It was a little chilly 47 degrees but the clear blue sky made all the difference. Hopefully I'll make it out atleast one more time before I head down to Hatteras for windfest.

The Oxford locals are getting used to my antics.

Today the wind was up and down out of the NW in the mid to high teens so I headed down to the Oxford strand. The air temp was above 40 so I put on an old ski hat, my 5/3 suit, and my new dakine mittens. This was my first time sailing with the mittens and they did cause some forearm fatigue but the warmth they provided was worth it. Anyway, I got about 3 hours of sailing mostly 6.6 120L but I did get a few runs with the 6.6 and my 92L evo when the wind was gusting. Still no other sailors out and we may have hit the 90 degree mark. I'll have to check the reported temp tomorrow.

I stole the idea for the picture from James Douglass's Windsurfing blog.

Chicken

That's right I was scared of the cold. The wind was doing 20 out of the NW most of the day, but the air temp didn't hit 40 until 5:00. Even then the feels like temp was suck in the low 30's. If your an avid reader of the Peconic Puffin you will see that some sailors go out in these conditions. My only excuse is that I typically have to sail alone. Anyway here are some pictures of Oxford with a NW blow last September (no wetsuit required).

I stays really flat when its a Northerly wind, great for speed runs/gybing.

6.6 Sail 120L board almost no chop

Strong S - SW

This is my first post after being an avid reader of the many windsurfing blogs out there. Hopefully those of you like me (wanting to know the conditions / sessions that we missed) will enjoy reading about the windsurfing that can be had on the Eastern Shore of MD. Enough about that:

Today the forecast was for low 20's out of the South and I figured why not try my local launch, Oxford, MD. I've sailed there several times always with a Northerly wind and there is a nice beach to lauch from.
Today I had to seek an alternate launch to access the southerly wind and was plesantly supprised with what I found. I launched from a little beach right next to the Oxford Sailing Club. (Note - the sign on the street says no parking and when sane people are out this may be a problem)
After sitting through a brief downpour and squall the wind seemed to turn off. Then gradually the wind came back untill I was fully powered on a 5.4 and 92l board. The mile wide river created some nice ramps that allowed a couple of really nice jumps (I only wish someone was around to take a picture). After about an hour of the wind continuing to build I was blown off the water and kicked myself for not bringing my 4.7. I took some pictures and video of the location / wind and hope to upload them soon. Anyway tomorrow looks good out of the North I will have to see what the air temp is.